Comcast, the Philadelphia-based cable operator, is hiring 280 new employees throughout Washington in the next three months.

As part of the hiring, the company is planning to open a new call center in Lynnwood by July. The center, which will eventually have more than 500 employees, will be the company's state headquarters. Two other locations are in Fife and Everett.

Comcast said hiring will take place in nearly all of its Washington locations, including Bellingham, Aberdeen and Spokane. The majority of jobs available are for front-line technicians and customer care representatives and engineering and sales personnel.

The jobs are expected to help fill demand for Comcast products and services, including the company's Triple Play package, which bundles together video, high-speed Internet and phone services for one price.

The Comcast hiring could be good news for the 260 employees who got word they're being laid off from their Alltel call center jobs by the fall.

Alltel Wireless, which acquired Bellevue-based Western Wireless two years ago, said in April that it was closing an Issaquah call center and eliminating 260 jobs.

At that time, it planned to close the Sammamish facility by fall with layoffs coming in two stages -- 89 positions in June and 159 in October. In addition, 12 positions will be eliminated in Bellevue, where Alltel continues to maintain an office of former Western Wireless employees.

I found 21 jobs available in Washington on Comcast's Web site.

Perhaps if Comcast moves quickly, these employees will still be looking for work. After Alltel announced the layoffs, I received two phone calls and one e-mail from other employers eagerly trying to hire the displaced workers.